1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for reading bar codes stuck to containers set at a plurality of setting parts, and more particularly to an apparatus for reading bar codes stuck to reagent containers/specimen containers and the automatic analyzer provided therewith.
2. Prior Art
In analysis of biological samples (specimens) such as blood, depending on an analytical purpose, a required reagent is taken out from various reagents and added to a specimen, and an optical analysis, for instance, an absorbancy analysis is performed. In recent years, in many of such biological sample analyses, a great number of reagent containers are lined on a reagent rack and the like, and a required reagent is taken out from the reagent containers, and many kinds of analyses are performed. In such a case, it is often observed that a required reagent is identified by previously sticking bar codes to reagent containers and moving the reagent containers or a bar code reader in succession to a position to allow reading the bar codes to read the bar codes with a bar code reader.
And, in an automatic analyzer, it is often observed that to speed the treatment of specimens, a great number of specimen containers are lined on a specimen rack, and bar codes are previously stuck to specimen containers, and the specimen containers or a bar code reader are moved in succession to a position to allow reading the bar codes to read the bar codes with a bar code reader.
In reading bar codes stuck to reagent containers and bar codes stuck to specimen containers, there were required one set of a bar code reader for identification of reagents and a driving means thereof and one set of a bar code reader for identification of specimens and a driving means thereof, i.e., two set of equipments in total. Further, when both bar codes are read with one bar code reader, it is necessary to set a specimen container and a reagent container at the same container setting part and therefore a position where container was set was limited. Therefore, the apparatus became complex and large and the cost was increased.
To solve this problem, the invention of Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 3-276667 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-89277) was proposed. This invention relates to a biochemical automatic analyzer consisting of a reflector which is arranged between one reagent box where many reagents are arranged and the other reagent box adjacent to the one reagent box and reflects bar codes stuck to reagents in these reagent boxes at a certain angle, a driving device which rotates and drives the reflector, and a bar code reader which senses the position of incidence of the reflected light of the bar code from said reflector and is operated simultaneously with incidence of this reflected light.
In accordance with this invention, although it is possible to read bar codes stuck to containers held at different container holding parts with one bar code reader, it is required to move the containers to the specified position because a position of a bar code reader is fixed, and further it is required to locate two rows of containers at opposite positions relative to a reflecting member, and therefore the position of a container holding part is still limited. Further, since there were required one driving means for moving the reagent containers in succession to a position to allow reading the bar codes per each container holding part and one driving means for rotating a reflecting member and therefore three driving means in total, the foregoing problems of the prior art were still to be resolved and the apparatus became complex and large and the cost was increased.
Considering these problems, the present invention has been intended, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic apparatus for reading bar codes, which may identify the bar codes stuck to two kinds of containers with a simple constitution and has a high degree of flexibility in an arrangement of containers, and to realize the simplification, the miniaturization and the lower prices of the apparatus. Further, it is an another object to provide an automatic analyzer provided with such an automatic apparatus for reading bar codes.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an automatic apparatus for reading bar codes comprising a bar code reader for reading bar codes stuck to containers, a reflecting member for reflecting light irradiated from the bar code reader to the bar codes, a driving means for moving the reflecting member to and from in the direction of the light irradiated from the bar code reader and in the reverse direction thereof on a travel path parallel to the direction of the irradiated light and at least one abutment part provided on said travel path for regulating the range of travel of the reflecting member, wherein a first container setting part for setting first containers stuck with first bar codes and a second container setting part for setting second containers stuck with second bar codes are arranged on both sides, respectively, of said travel path; the reflecting member is provided in such a way that the reflecting member may rotate between a first position to allow said bar code reader to read the first bar codes of the first containers set at the first container setting part through the medium of the reflecting member and a second position to allow said bar code reader to read the second bar codes of the second containers set at the second container setting part through the medium of the reflecting member; and by moving the reflecting member to and from in said way with said driving means, the reflecting member contacts said abutment part to rotate from said first position to said second position or from said second position to said first position and thereby said bar code reader reads the first bar codes and the second bar codes.
According to such an apparatus, it becomes possible to read both bar codes stuck to first containers and second containers with one bar code reader and one driving means, and it becomes unnecessary to locate the first containers and the second containers at opposite positions relative to the reflecting member and therefore a degree of flexibility in an arrangement of containers is enhanced.